These diy cleaning wipes are great to have on hand when you have small kids. These are the wipes that they use for their chores. I used to give them a spray bottle and a cloth. But that usually ended with not enough or too much spray used, especially when they’re little.

They can quickly wipe down the table, counter tops, bathroom counter, toilet, wall, dust furniture, and even scrub up messes on the floors. They are non toxic so I’m not afraid of their little hands grabbing one of these.

I like these reusable wipes better than the thin disposable wipes because they hold up better, are strong enough to handle a good scrub, and they cost less because you can just throw these in the washing machine and use them over and over.

My favorite fabric to use for these wipes in old flannel receiving blankets. They are nice and thick and hold up really well. But most scrap fabric will do. I even used an old crib sheet that I no longer want. It may not be as thick but it still works just as well.

What you will need:

Some scrap fabric that will work well for a cleaning cloth
A sealable container to store them in (baby wipe box, wide mouth mason jar, or medium sized Tupperware container)
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon Dr. Bronners Castile Soap (or a dish soap of your choice)
10 drops Tea Tree or Lemon Essential Oil

Instructions:

1. Cut your fabric to your desired size. This will depend on your preference along with what will fit into your sealable container.

   For my Tupperware container cloths I cut them to about the size of a paper towel. Folded they will fit nicely inside. And my wide mouth mason jar I cut them smaller, about a 5×5 square.

   As a reference on how much fabric you will need; two standard flannel receiving blankets fit nicely inside a medium Tupperware container and a quart sized wide mouth mason jar.

2. Whisk together 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1/2 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of liquid Castile soap (or dish soap), and 10-12 drops of Tea Tree or Lemon Essential Oil.

3. Add a few layers of folded cut cloth to the container and pour a portion of the cleaning solution on top. Repeat until all of the cloth and the cleaning solution on in the container. Then allow them to sit and soak in all of the solution for about 10 minutes.

Then you’re ready to get cleaning!

You’ve probably noticed that this isn’t a very exact recipe. And admittedly it’s not, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s a pretty flexible and fool proof concept. Feel free to add a little more or less soap, more water to make them damper, or even less water.

My real trust is in the vinegar and essential oils to be gentle enough for my little ones but tough enough to really get surfaces clean. I hope you give this a try and even play with it to fit your families needs.

Thanks for taking time out of your day to hang out here!